Energy, comfort, and environmental assessment of passive techniques integrated into low-energy residential buildings in semi-arid climate

[Display omitted] •An optimal passive envelope is defined for houses in a semi-arid climate.•A combination of PCM, reflective paint, insulation, and glazing is proposed.•Numerical simulation with validation through experimental chambers is presented.•Results illustrated a decrease of 53%–58% in annual energy.•An increase in comfort for up to 45% with a payback period of 3.5 years was reached. Residential buildings consume a lot of energy, particularly after the recent pandemic and remote working lifestyle. Thus, it is crucial to design energy-efficient buildings that reduce energy consumption without losing indoor thermal comfort. In this regard, integrating affordable passive strategies can improve thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and other environmental setbacks. In this study, several passive techniques were parametrically analyzed and tested in real semi-arid conditions using building simulation tools. The analyzed passive strategies include a phase change material (PCM), reflective paint, insulation, double-clear glazing, double low-E glazing, reflective glazing, and shading. Three of Monterrey’s major energy-consuming typical houses were analyzed, and the optimum configuration was selected based on annual energy saving and initial material cost-effectiveness. Although the PCM was thermally effective when integrated into walls and roofs, as well as in terms of total energy reduction, the results showed that it was not cost effective. Therefore, insulation and reflective paint in walls and roofs were applied in conjunction with low-E glazing and shading in all cases to save more than 50% of energy annually. The use of these energy-saving techniques increased the hours of comfort by up to 45%, resulting in a reduction of up to 3000 kgCO2e.